Boxing These Down, Here
1 hour ago
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Pressure cookers
Pressure cookers have been in the news lately, and not in a good way. Going around with a pressure cooker is a good way to get reported to the police.
It's a darn shame too, as pressure cookers are useful devices -for cooking. Most people, if they use them at all, only haul them out for home canning. In many parts of the world they get almost daily service, and for good reason.
Pressure cookers are a fast and energy efficient way to cook. Anything that can be prepared in a crock pot in 8 hours can usually be done in about 30 minutes with a pressure cooker. They do a nice job on vegetables, everything from leafy greens like spinach to harder veggies like squash and turnips.
Ever peel a squash? It's a pain, isn't it? Dangerous even. Just quarter, scoop the seeds out and cook it in a pressure cooker. Then the skin easily peels away.
Tough piece of meat? Pressure cook it. They could probably make shoe leather taste good.
Anyone who has dry beans in their food storage needs a pressure cooker. The dry beans can be put to soak in the morning then popped in the pressure cooker for dinner. I've even made traditional Boston baked beans in mine.
Some pressure cookers are fairly pricey. Mine is a lower priced Presto stainless steel one with a rocker weight. The disadvantage of the cheaper ones is that they have rubber gaskets that need to be replaced. I keep a spare gasket and emergency relief plug as backup. Only had to change the gasket once in 10 years of regular use, so that's not too bad.
Take back the pressure cookers from the terrorists and put them back in the kitchen where they belong.
-Sixbears
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I'v got an old pressure canner that I want to refurbish. I don't see why a person couldn't cook in one of them, either. It's aluminum, so I'd put whatever it is in a dish. My wife has a new stainless pressure cooker that I bought her, but she'll probably never use it.
ReplyDeleteAt least you have them in the house. They are there if you need them.
DeletePresumably, you also need a lot less energy to cook in one.
ReplyDeleteAs to the funny looks people give you if you carry an unwrapped everyday item, I bought a pair of tailors shears from an antique shop a few days ago, (a lovely old tool which I have now sharpened) I was carrying it in my hand, I had not even left the premises yet, went into the coffee shop with my wife and the woman serving said something like: This is a lethal looking thing, why didn't they put in a bag for you? People are scarred of the simplest of ordinary thing these days. They really gets on my wick!
They do use a lot less energy.
DeleteIt's a bit different around here, where someone walking around with a gun doesn't look out of place and is no cause for alarm.
I had a Presto with a rocker weight for years and never once used it as a terrorist device... dammit I never thought about it even though it appeared to want to blow its top occasionally... a wonderful cooker, ideal for cooking chickens and bread too... I now have a more modern one but it's no better... what with that, a wok and a camp oven, a person needs nothing else... cooked a chicken in my camp oven tonight... my god was it good, tender, tasty and terrific...
ReplyDeleteA good basic cooking tools and a person can make just about anything.
DeleteI was wondering how long it would take for you to come to the defense of pressure cookers after all the news lately.
ReplyDeleteSeems like a waste to turn a perfectly good pressure cooker into a bomb.
Deletedon't worry, it be dutch ovens nerxt..
ReplyDeleteWildflower
Oh no! I've got one of those too.
DeleteAre they going to ban pressure cookers now??
ReplyDeleteOne company stopped selling them in Massachusetts. "out of respect." How silly is that?
DeleteI remember Mom using a pressure cooker way back when I was a kid. Guess Mom is a terrorists, but she sure does cook good!
ReplyDeleteMy mom never used one. She was afraid they'd blow up.
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